Wright Twp. police chief ready for new role

Wright Township police Chief Joe Jacob wil retire this week after nearly 20 years of leading the force. Jacob, 57, is taking the position of deputy superintendent of the Pennsylvania Capitol Police Department.

Joe Jacob knew from the time he was a young boy that the only job he wanted was to be a police officer. He reached that goal at the young age of 18 and for nearly 40 years has served the Mountain Top community.

Jacob will retire June 1 after nearly 20 years as chief of the Wright Township Police Department, but that won't be the end of his childhood dream.

Jacob, 57, will be taking his experience and skills to the state level. Starting June 4, he will take on the job of deputy superintendent of the Pennsylvania Capitol Police Department, supervising 100 officers who provide security on the capitol grounds in Harrisburg and at state office buildings across Pennsylvania.

Jacob said his decision to retire was not an easy one.

"I love this job and I love the community," said Jacob, who will continue to live in the Mountain Top area. "This is what I wanted to do since I was a kid. I never thought about anything else. But I had an opportunity I could not pass up."

Jacob began working for Wright Township Police Department in 1973, but actually began his law enforcement career one year earlier in neighboring Fairview Township. He credited the 1972 flood after Tropical Storm Agnes with jump-starting his police career.

"A lot of people began moving from the flooded areas to Mountain Top and the area began to grow," he explained.

Jacob said Fairview Township received federal funding to hire additional police officers, opening the door. Jacob joined another young police officer, Joseph Intellicato, on the Fairview Township department in 1972. While Jacob left a year later for Wright Township, Intellicato remained in Fairview Township. Like Jacob, Intellicato moved up the ranks to the position of chief, which he also holds today.

"I'm going to miss him," Intellicato said of his long-time friend and colleague. "We've worked together for nearly 40 years. We investigated our first criminal case together."

Intellicato described Jacob as a leader in law enforcement, not only locally, but across the state and country.

Intellicato feels a big part of Jacob's legacy will be his effort to improve law enforcement throughout the area through training.

Wilkes-Barre police Chief Gerard Dessoye agreed.

"Joe Jacob was responsible for bringing high-caliber training to law enforcement in Northeastern Pennsylvania," Dessoye said.

Dessoye explained that through Jacob's association with the Pennsylvania Narcotics Officers' Association (PNOA) and the Mid-Atlantic Great Lakes Law Enforcement Network, he was able to get those agencies to co-sponsor high-quality training locally at little or no cost to municipalities.

"Those trainings would not have been possible without Joe reaching out to those agencies," Dessoye stated.

Dessoye often relied on Jacob's counsel.

"On a number of occasions I asked Joe for guidance when I was working in narcotics, as a detective supervisor and chief of police," Dessoye said.

Jacob said training has always been a priority.

"With technology, the way we do policing changes so quickly today," he explained. "Technology is always changing and we need to be able to keep up with it."

Jacob said one of the highlights of his career was the opportunity to attend the FBI National Academy at Quantico, Va., in 2001.

"That is one of the top training opportunities in the world for law enforcement executives," Jacob said.

He credited Wright Township supervisors for allowing him to attend the academy as well as participate in state and national police organizations.

Jacob has served as a member of the executive board of the National Narcotics Officers' Association and the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association. He has held the offices of president, vice president, secretary and currently treasurer of PNOA. He currently is president of the Luzerne County Chiefs of Police Association, Luzerne County Drug Task Force Board of Chiefs and the Northeast Chiefs of Police Board of Directors.

Jacob also has been active with the Fraternal Order of Police. He is immediate past president of Wyoming Valley Lodge 36 and has served as vice president, delegate and a member of the board of directors. He was named the lodge's Police Officer of the Year in 2006. That same year he was named Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General Drug Task Force Officer of the Year.

Wright Township supervisor Dan Frascella has been a member of the board of supervisors for 24 years and has worked closely with Jacob.

"He has always had the good of the township at heart," Frascella commented. "Joe has done a wonderful job for us. He has always been visible in the community and concerned about the safety of our residents. We are sorry to see him go."

Jacob took over as chief of police in 1994 after holding the rank of sergeant for five years. The department has seven full-time sworn officers and one civilian employee.

Jacob's reputation among law enforcement also extends to the federal level. FBI Special Agent James Glenn (retired), a Wright Township resident, praised his professionalism.

"It has been an absolute honor and privilege to know and to have worked with Chief Jacob," Glenn said. "In my opinion, Joe epitomizes what it means to be a professional law enforcement officer. His honesty, dedication, and leadership skills are well known to the federal, state, county and local law enforcement agencies serving the Wyoming Valley."

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